This year's class speaker was Oluwabamise Onabanjo LLM '21.
Oluwabamise Onabanjo LLM '21 is a Nigerian-trained attorney and obtained her law degree from Babcock University in Nigeria. Before coming to Duke Law School, she practiced as a litigator and project development attorney and also volunteered with nonprofits that supported women farmers in international trade transactions. At Duke, she worked as a policy analyst with a team of neuroscientists and data analysts on Bass Connections research. The team analyzed North Carolina’s mental health and substance abuse-related policies to understand their impact on recidivism in North Carolina. She also worked as a policy research fellow with the Campus Climate Committee to review policy recommendations that aim to improve the campus experience for students, staff, and the Durham community. After graduation, Oluwabamise will practice as an International Trade and Development policy attorney.
Professor Thomas Metzloff gave the distinguished address.
Thomas B. Metzloff is a professor of law at Duke Law School and teaches civil procedure, ethics, and dispute resolution, as well as a specialized course on the American legal system for international LLM students. He began his professional career with a judicial clerkship on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, followed by a clerkship with the Supreme Court of the United States. He then practiced with a private firm in Atlanta doing civil litigation matters before accepting a position at Duke Law School in 1985. He served as the Law School’s senior associate dean for academic affairs from 1998-2001, and currently serves as a member of the executive committee of Duke University’s Academic Council and as director of the Voices of American Law project. Metzloff is a native of Buffalo, N.Y., and he earned his BA from Yale College and his JD from Harvard Law School.
